Before I go on, I should state I am not usually a fan of wet lubes. I don’t like the sticky black residue all over my drivetrain. I’ll take ease of cleaning over the occasional need to reapply lube on a very long ride, unless conditions have Noah phoning around timber yards.

First impressions of the Viking Juice were not great. It is quite runny, and I cack-handedly managed to squirt it all over myself, as well my chain. Minor annoyance out of the way, there was little to complain about. The drivetrain didn’t pick up a great deal of dirt, despite pretty filthy conditions more often than not. Ah… spring! On the odd dry(ish) ride, there was little evidence of the tell-tale fur of dust and sand stuck to the chain.

A weekend of riding in the Cairngorms, on a route that at times seemed to wilfully choose stream and river crossings whenever there was an option, was perhaps the ultimate test of any lube. Throw in hub-deep bog-trotting, and the challenge had been set. The Viking Juice coped admirably. Shifting remained smooth, despite repeated dunkings. I was impressed. I only felt the need to add some more lube overnight, although possibly just through habit.

This has proved a bit of a revelation for me. The holy grail of chain lube? I think it is the closest I’ve come to finding the perfect balance between longevity and dirt repellency. Apparently the lube was developed by Juice for Magnus Backstedt to use on the Paris Roubaix without needing to reapply.